The Language Teacher
June 2004

Education and Technology

Jeffrey D. Shaffer

Perspectives

. . . with Joyce Cunningham & Mariko Miyao perspectives@jalt-publications.org

Today's kids have been brought up in the digital age. They were born with a cell phone in one hand, and by the time they reach elementary school, they have a firm grasp of PCs, digital cameras, and the Internet. They quickly outpace their parents as if it were a walk in the park. But why shouldn't they? For them, it is a walk in the park.

I believe that the acquisition of technology parallels the acquisition of language. Everyone can learn their native language, and they acquire it quickly, thoroughly, and naturally. There is no need for study or struggle; it is simply absorbed. Technology, as well, seems to be absorbed by the digi-kids in much the same manner and with a strikingly similar depth of knowledge and fluency.

The digi-kids' ability to acquire technology quickly and naturally has put our current education system over a barrel—students today simply aren't tuned in to our traditional teaching styles. They are out of phase with education, so to speak.

Traditionally, education was like church, where students would come and listen quietly to the all-knowing teacher and depart again in silence and reverence. But technology has changed this model by changing the lives of our children. Technology has altered their expectations, interests, and to a great deal, their learning styles.

Students are looking for a type of education that traditional teachers are not able to provide, and the students are pushing the teachers, if unconsciously, to change their teaching methods and philosophies. In EFL circles, we carefully watch and research new trends in education, perhaps because if we do not learn to cater to our students not only will they learn less, but they will also go and find a new teacher! We must stay on top of the game, and only recently have we taken notice of a bench warmer named motivation, which may very well turn out to be our most valuable player.

Though still uncommon in the typical classroom, more and more EFL classrooms are finding ways to boost students' motivation, which, in turn, promotes learning in a deeper and more fulfilling way. If students enjoy learning English, then they try harder, think more, and take their classes more seriously. Current trends in motivation building see teachers giving students more freedom and a more active role in the class, allowing them to choose activities and topics for discussion as well as providing them with an opportunity to talk about themselves, their friends, interests, and beliefs. This personalizes the class, giving it relevance as well as value for each student.

This kind of personal freedom and personal enjoyment is the basis of intrinsic motivation, which is also why technology is such a fundamental element in digi-kids' lives. Technology is how they engage the world—it's fast, sleek, powerful, and thrilling. Motivation and technology are inseparably linked in the minds of our children.

It's not just that today's kids expect to find freedom and enjoyment in today's educational system, it's that they cannot believe in an educational system that does not include such things. Some teachers have taken up the educational technology banner, and they drop their students into computer classrooms, thinking that mere exposure to technology will somehow magically address the problem. But what they fail to realize is that education and technology are on a continuum—the one gradually blends into the other, like a light dimmer in your home. With a light dimmer, the light need not only be on or off, but it can also be anywhere in between. Education and technology are connected in the same way.

Until now, we have seen only education, with little or no technology being introduced. But now, as teachers wake up to reality and try to meet students' needs and expectations, they turn the lights on full blast—100% technology—leaving no room for education! Too much technology kills innovation, creativity, and a deeper level of acquisition and understanding.

The whole education-technology-teacher-student system can be visualized as a garden. The students are seeds that are placed into the soil (education). Left to their own devices, some will grow and others will not. But, if a teacher adds just the right amount of fertilizer (technology), the students will grow up to be big and strong. Too much fertilizer and they will die; too little and they may be stunted and small. It requires just the right amount. We currently don't know what the right amount of technology is as we are now on the forefront of the digital age. But we are certain that the optimal amount lies somewhere between the two extremes, and there may very well be different optimums for different students.

The winds of change are upon us, and the future will bring new innovations in education and technology unforeseen. PDAs and cell phones will move beyond their current bounds to fulfill a pivotal role, not as a means to an end, but as tools to address a new methodology and philosophy in the age of digital education.

Jeffrey D. Shaffer

Jeffrey D. Shaffer is a member of the Digital Education Center at Osaka Gakuin University where he creates digital content for the EFL classroom, does graphic design and HTML programming, and is also an advisor to the Digital Audio-Video Circle.

The Language TeacherJune 2004

Education and Technology

Jeffrey D. Shaffer

Perspectives

The Language Teacher
June 2004